Trust Consultation | About Us - Royds Hall High School

Royds Hall High School change of category to a Foundation School and acquire a Foundation (Trust)

At a meeting of the school Governing Body on 10^th February 2011 it was decided to:

change school category from Community to Foundation;
adopt a charitable Trust named Royds Hall Co-operative Learning Trust, which shall be a co-operative membership trust;
with effect from 1^st March 2011.

This is in line with the consultation and published statutory proposal.

The decision was taken as the Governing Body believe the Trust will raise standards through the creation of a platform for on-going improvement. The resources and expertise brought to the Trust by the partners will strengthen strategic leadership, increase support and challenge and consolidate effective monitoring, thereby promoting improvement in outcomes for students.

The mutual co-operative nature of the membership trust with its high levels of stakeholder involvement and accountability will greatly assist in further raising the profile of education and the extended schools/Every Child Matters agenda across our community and lead to enhanced community cohesion.

This decision followed a wide consultation process during which all relevant parties were consulted and consultation meetings were held for pupils, staff, parents and the general public and unions and trade associations were consulted. Statutory guidance was followed and the views of those consulted were considered by the Governing Body prior to the required Statutory Proposal being published. All representations made in response to the Statutory Proposal were considered prior to the Governing Body deciding to proceed to implementation.

The Royds Hall Co-operative Trust will work with their partners, Huddersfield Town AFC, Sheffield Hallam University, Huddersfield New College, and The Holmfirth Fair Traders Co-operative Society, who together aim to raise the aspirations of the students and deliver a holistic approach to child and family support that will embody the reality of “Every Child Matters”.

In particular we see the model as an opportunity to:

Working collaboratively together to raise standards.
Working inclusively with representation of partners from education and training, employment and regeneration.
Open and honest relationships with partners, helping each other reach common goals.
Raising aspiration through embedding a ’life long learning’ ethos in the extended community.
A global perspective rooted in the co-operative values of self help, self responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity.
Provision of the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others.
Provision of learning and earning opportunities through regeneration programmes to help build active citizenship.
Membership open to parents/carers, members of the community, partners, learners, their extended families and staff.

As a co-operative trust a Stakeholder Forum representing the various constituencies of membership shall be developed in the trust’s first year. (further details will be provided in the near future.) This Forum will represent the membership and hold the Trust to account. It shall also appoint 2 Trustees to the Trust Board.

The school will continue to be run and managed by the Governing Body as before with the additional benefits of Trust partners and 3 Trust nominated Governors to assist us in our future developments.

The Governing Body will replace the Local Authority as the Admissions Authority but shall continue to operate the current admissions arrangements, though reserving the right to review them as appropriate. The Governing Body also remains bound by the National Code of Conduct on Fair Admissions. Additionally the school’s land and assets will now going forward, be held in trust by the new co-operative trust.

On the implementation date the Governing Body will become the employer but your terms and conditions will remain the same and the appropriate assurances have been given by the LA as discussed with staff, unions and teacher associations.

Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

Yours sincerely,

Antony Scott

Chair of the Governing Body